Wexford farmers to receive annual ‘reward’ of up to €200,000 to help improve condition of severely polluted lake
Wexford PeopleWexford farmers will receive annual payments of €200,000 as part of the local council’s plans to tackle pollution at Our Lady’s Island Lake.
Up to 60 farmers will be included in a five-year scheme which will see them receive results-based payments of between €120,000-€204,000 as reward for “measurable improvements in nutrient use efficiency, water quality, and biodiversity”.
In Wexford County Council’s (WCC) Water Quality Action Plan for Our Lady’s Island Lake, agriculture is identified as the primary source of pollutants at the lake with over 80 pc of the issues caused by “excessive nitrogen and phosphorous”.
The plan has been put in place following an ecological assessment of the lake which categorised it as one of the most polluted bodies of water in the country.
As it continues its efforts to improve the condition of the lake, WCC has employed Catherine McIntyre of consultancy firm Atkins Réalis to assess the Water Quality Action Plan before it is finalised.
In a report published earlier this month, Ms McIntyre stated: “Farmers are central to delivery of the Water Quality Action Plan, with approximately 55–60 landowners and 25 farmyards across the 19.16 km² Lady’s Island Lake catchment to be engaged in the scheme.
“Around 60 participants are envisioned to be supported through a €2.25 million, five‑year programme, with annual results‑based payments (€120k–€204k) rewarding measurable improvements in nutrient use efficiency, water quality, and biodiversity,” she said.
“Actions include riparian buffer zones, sediment traps, constructed wetlands, woodland planting, cover crops, and livestock exclusion from watercourses. This aims to ensure that environmental restoration is achieved while sustaining farm livelihoods.”
While Ms McIntyre notes that farmers “seem very amenable to any activity to restore the lake that will also support their livelihoods and supplement their income” and that “many recognise their role in contributing to pollution”, she says that many farmers “feel unfairly singled out”.
Citing additional pollutants, including septic tanks, wastewater treatment plants, and “other inputs, such as birds”, Ms McIntyre stresses the importance of acknowledging that agriculture is not the sole contributing factor to the lake’s condition.
“There may be a perception of a few ‘bad actors’ in the farming community causing all the problems in the catchment, but research groups state that the problem is more likely to be the difficult situation of incompatible land use application on soils that can’t handle the requirements of intensive agriculture,” she says.
“Even if all farmers are compliant and take on all the available measures, there will still be further nutrient reductions required.”
Critical of WCC’s focus on agricultural management practises, Ms McIntyre says that while the Water Quality Action Plan discusses a range of potential measures, there appears to be “insufficient scientific evidence presented (or acknowledged as being needed) to give confidence that the measures proposed are the most appropriate for the catchment and that they will, therefore, be successful.
The lake has been described as “one of the most polluted bodies of water in the country”.
“There has been no assessment of how much nutrient may be entering the lake from other sources, such as on-site wastewater treatment systems, release from sediments and input from bird populations.
“Establishing data on other sources, such as legacy pollutants within soils and groundwater, and bird fouling, will be necessary to provide a more holistic understanding of catchment pollutant sources,” she adds.
Welcoming the publication of this and other documents relating to the preservation of the lake, The Save Lady’s Island Campaign Group (SLICG) said there were still “serious questions” to be answered about the lack of progress to stop pollution at the lake.
“Incredibly no recent public information is available on specific pollution levels within the lake catchment area,” said a spokesperson for the group. “This situation is ongoing despite water quality testing having been carried out in that small area by several state agencies during the last year.”
With concerns regarding the continued deterioration of the lake, the SLICG has questioned the pace at which WCC is proceeding when the “main sources of water pollution at Lady’s Island Lake have already been clearly identified and are well known to the state agencies involved”.
“How much further surveying, monitoring and mapping of water pathways and pollution sources is genuinely required to complete the Action Plan, given that a major three-year scientific study, along with its report and recommended actions, was published over 18 months ago?” asked the spokesperson.
“The causes of pollution at Lady’s Island Lake are already well understood, and we support the continued use of sound science to guide long-term restoration and monitoring. However, we believe that immediate action on the sources already identified should not wait on further data collection.”
Calling on WCC and Housing and Local Government Minister James Browne to publish a finalised Water Quality Action Plan for Our Lady’s Island Lake, the spokesperson said the SLICG also wants to see “a clear timeline for properly funded supports for farmers to adopt sustainable and nature based approaches, recognising that farmers themselves are central to any lasting solution.”